Swedish Strip

Swedish company TK Audio tell us that The Strip has just gone through the final testings and is ready for production. Here's what they have to say about it... The Strip (ST1) is a complete and easy to use channel strip with a mic preamp, compressor and EQ - a perfect tool for the recording engineer, songwriter or producer on the go that needs a great sounding recording channel. The preamp is a transformerless design with up to 75 dB of ultra-clean amplification; enough to power low output ribbon and dynamic microphones. The high-impedance instrument input on the front is perfect for instruments like synthesizers; acoustic, electric and bass guitar. The switchable high-pass filter removes unwanted low-frequency energy below 80 Hz. The compressor uses RMS detection without timing controls which makes it easy to use for a lot of different instruments like vocals, bass, acoustic guitar and more. The depth and character of the compression is set with the Threshold and Ratio parameters. Parallel compression can be done by adjusting the blend of dry and compressed signal. There is a 10 LED meter showing the gain-reduction with a dot or the preamp headroom with a bar. The EQ is a classic Baxandall design with two smooth-sounding shelving filters; the 100 Hz low-shelf filter is ideal for removing excessive bass energy or adding weight to the low-end; and the 12 kHz high-shelving filter perfect for adding some air. Both filters outperform their digital equivalents (plug-ins) by sounding smoother and more analogue. Finally ST1 has two different output stages, an electronically balanced output stage or a discrete transformer-balanced class-A stage, built around a heavy Carnhill output transformer. The vintage class-A mode produces a fat and punchy sound with mid range character and a warm top-end. The IC-based output stage is less colored and ideal for clean amplification. The Strip makes a perfect companion in almost any recording situation producing a musical smooth and detailed sound. Key Features: